


Fate

by Kateri



Category: NCIS
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Fate, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-05
Updated: 2011-11-05
Packaged: 2017-10-25 17:44:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/273042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kateri/pseuds/Kateri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some meetings are meant to be, no matter what.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fate

**Author's Note:**

> AU of Enigma

Officer Tony DiNozzo stared at the letter in his hand in disbelief. He had known the situation here in Peoria was quickly coming to a head so two months ago he had begun applying for other jobs. While applying to various police departments he had applied for several Federal Agencies on a whim, but he had never expected to hear back from any of them much less be offered a job pending an interview and security clearance.  
Feeling a smile begin to spread across his face Tony moved toward his phone book to began to make travel plans. Granted he had never heard of NCIS before randomly choosing several Federal Agencies to apply to but at this point anything was better than Peoria.

Seven Years Later

 

“This is my favorite part of the day. Oh Debbie, and Lisa, Lisa, Lisa.” Special Agent Tony DiNozzo said flipping through his mail.  
At his comment Kate Todd looked up and asked “Since when did you start giving women your work address? “  
“Oh, since I broke up with Michelle,” Tony replied with a smile.  
“The social worker?” Kate idly asked.  
“Yeah, we had a little misunderstanding.” Tony answered with a slight grimace.  
“Oh, like what?”  
“Well, she was under the impression that we were in an exclusive relationship.”  
Kate couldn’t help the snort that escaped her at that comment. “Imagine that!” She said “So what happened? “  
“She broke into my apartment and filled my closet with dog crap.” Tony said with a disgusted look on his face.  
At that Kate lost it and started laughing loudly before saying “Really? I knew there was a reason I liked her. “

“Thanks Kate,” Tony said with a grimace, “I still have her number. Maybe you two could get together and boil rabbits or something.”  
“Not my style, Tony,” Kate answered with a smirk, “I would just shoot you.”  
“Hah!” Tony yelled, “I knew you were after my job Kate.”  
“Boss, the Director wants us in MTAC,” Special Agent Langer said looking up at his supervisor while hanging up the phone he had just answered, “Oh and Kate, if any one is going to shoot DiNozzo it’s me because I’ve sure as hell had to put up with him longer.”  
As Tony bounded up the stairs to MTAC Kate kept her steps slower as she fell in alongside her partner. “How did someone like him ever end up in charge anyway?” Kate asked quietly of the other Agent.  
“If you ask me, I’d say seniority,” Langer answered with a snort, “That and I think it was promote him or fire him. From what I heard when I started his original supervisor walked out on the job after having to deal with DiNozzo for six months. The fates of the rest of them aren’t exactly pretty either, no one can control the man but he somehow gets results.”  
Shaking her head Kate couldn’t help but agree with the last, while she still wasn’t entirely certain what to think of her new boss she had to admit he somehow managed to get results.

Virginia, Same Time

“Hey Dad, there’s a package for you!” Yelled Kelly Gibbs as she passed the door that led down to the basement.  
“Thanks Kel, I’ll get it later!” Answered recently retired Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs from his spot underneath his boat. Despite the shear hilarity of building a boat in a basement Gibbs had convinced his wife that if he didn’t have something to keep him busy he was going to go not so quietly insane. So far retirement had not agreed with him very well. Gibbs enjoyed being able to spend time with his daughter without having to worry about being deployed but with Kelly starting college she was busy most of the time and didn’t want to spend her little free time hanging around with her dad.

 

MTAC ROOM

Without waiting for the two junior agents to get settled Director Morrow started briefing his MCRT leader. “Three weeks ago a Marine officer transporting two million dollars of Saddam Hussein’s cash was ambushed in Iraq. His driver was found dead on the scene. The officer and the cash were MIA. The officer was Colonel Lou Ryan, Agent DiNozzo.”  
“As in the Colonel Ryan that’s a SERE expert?” Tony asked.  
“Yes,” Morrow ansered before nodding to the tech on duty to start a video on main screen. “The FBI sent us this footage of the main terminal at Washington Dulles Airport. Two days ago he was spotted re-entering the country under an assumed name. The question is why.”  
“Some kind of classified op, Sir?” Kate asked while Tony stared at the footage showing on a loop.  
“Well, if it is, no one at the Pentagon knows anything about it, Agent Todd.” Director Morrow answered looking annoyed, “ The FBI believes he may have staged the ambush and taken the money for himself.”

Morrow’s answer having caught Tony’s attention he found himself frowning as he said, “I suppose anything is possible sir. I find that highly unlikely though with this guys reputation. My bet would be on him having a damn good reason for being here.”  
“If so, it’s what I’m looking forward to hearing.” Morrow said with a grim look. “You need to find him and bring him in. If he’s turned on us, it could compromise half our operations in Iraq.”  
“Director, a Marine like the Colonel is the type that would rather die than betray his country and the Corp.” Tony stated.  
“Oh let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. As of today, he just made the FBI’s most wanted list.”

GIBBS Residence

Walking into the Kitchen Gibbs noticed a package sitting on the table and remembered Kelly telling him earlier that he had a package. Since he wasn’t expecting anything Gibbs went to the coffee maker first to start a fresh pot. The package wasn’t going anywhere, and since his retirement neither was Gibbs.

 

Abby’s Lab, NCIS Headquarters, Navy Yard

 

“He’s kind of cute.” Abby stated watching the airport footage on her monitor.  
“So you’re into older guys, Abby?” Tony asked with a leer while leaning in closer to the lab tech.  
“Sure. Dating older is a sign of maturity.” Abby said with a smile  
“Oh?” Tony asked, feeling his curiosity peeked. “ What’s the oldest you’ve gone?”  
“Sixty five. My biology professor. You?” Abby said turning to look at Tony  
“Twenty six. My dry cleaner.” Tony answered  
“Ha ha. I rest my case,” Abby said before turning back to her analysis of the security footage.  
“Yeah, yeah whatever. What do you got so far, Abs?” Tony asked changing the subject.  
“This is from the airport surveillance video. It looks like Colonel Ryan is talking to someone, but I can’t tell who,” Abby told him slowing down and enhancing a frame.  
“Okay, I need you to pull all the airport tapes that match our time frame,” Tony ordered all business now.  
“I’m already on it oh Fearless Leader Boss!” Abby said almost hopping in place.  
“Good, what’s left of Colonel Ryan’s Hummer was shipped back to Camp Lejeune last week, I can have it here tomorrow for you to start on and I have Langer hunting down his personal affects.” Tony said straightening up from his slouch against Abby’s lab table.  
“Oh Tony, you always arrange the best gifts for me,” Abby said with a smile.  
As he turned to leave though, Abby stopped him with one last comment.  
“I just realized something. Maybe it’s not that you’re dating younger women but that they’re dating an older man.”

Gibbs’ Residence

Gibbs finally turned toward the package after he finished his coffee and sandwich. Pulling his knife out of his back pocket he opened the box. Unwrapping the bubble wrap Gibbs was stunned to see a flask with a very familiar inscription on it stating:

TO LIEUTENANT COLONEL W.D. RYAN  
“SEMPER FI”  
GUNNERY SERGEANT L.J. GIBBS  
1991

The note written on a torn piece of paper being held in place by a rubber band was even more shocking.  
MILLIONS BEING  
SMUGGLED OUT OF  
IRAQ. USED TO FUND  
COVERT OPERATIONS  
OUTSIDE MILITARY AND  
GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT.  
I’LL CONTACT WHEN I KNOW MORE.

NCIS Headquarters, Navy Yard

“ What’s SERE school?” Kate asked looking at the desk across from hers where Langer was working.  
“Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape.” Tony said walking toward his desk, having caught the question. “Why?”  
“Ryan served as an instructor there for three years. His O.Q.R. reads like something out of Soldier of Fortune.” Kate said flipping through the file in her hands.  
“Ah, the Colonel’s personal effects are en route from Iraq. They’ll be here in forty-eight hours.” Langer said jumping out of his chair and walking toward Kate and Tony.  
“Anything interesting in his jacket, Kate? “ Tony asked beginning to pull items out of his desk  
“Iraq hasn’t caught up with his records yet, but judging by his background, he won’t be easy to find.” Kate answered, frowning at her boss who seemed to be gearing up.  
“Unless you happen to be an excellent investigator like yours truly. I have a pretty good idea where to look first” Tony said, typing something into his computer before snapping at Kate and Langer to grab their gear and meet him in the motor pool.

 

Arriving at their apparent location Kate took in the ‘rustic’ cabin and what appeared to be a half built boat and wondered again about DiNozzo. His reasoning for not only starting at Ryan’s cabin but having Abby search for property records in the first place stemmed from the fact that Ryan was, as DiNozzo put it ‘a SERE-crazy Marine, the type to think that a roof and no one for miles constitutes a relaxing vacation spot.’  
As they reached the cabin’s door though the blown out doorknob seemed to support DiNozzo’s hunch. Kate quickly drew her weapon and mirror Tony on the other side of the damaged door. Quietly counting down to one before kicking in the door all three agents burst into the cabin before spreading out and conducting a quick search of the rooms.

Kate could hear Tony and Langer yelling ‘Clear!’ as they check the other rooms before she entered the bedroom and saw a body tied to a chair.  
“We’ve got a body in here.” Kate yelled right before she hear a gun being cocked behind her and to her right, right where a person hiding behind the room’s door would be.  
“That’s not all you got,” A voice said, coming from the same direction.  
Kate froze, mentally castigating herself for not properly clearing the room and wondered if DiNozzo would ever let her forget this if she made it out of this alive.

“Not a good idea,” She heard Tony say a moment later, quickly followed by a snort from the mysterious gunman.  
“Actually a very good idea if you had anything to do with the body there,” The voice said.  
“Oh in that case it’s definitely a bad idea then,” Tony answered brightly, “because since that man over there is most definitely not Colonel Ryan I yet to have anything to do with him. You on the other hand are looking good for his murder what with the whole holding a gun on my agent.”  
“Agent?” The voice questioned.  
“Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, NCIS, and that would be the lovely Special Agent Kate Todd who you are holding a gun on.”  
“NCIS” the voice said.  
“Yes,” Kate heard Tony sigh, “It stands for-“  
“Navel Criminal Investigative Service” The voice interrupted, “Did the Colonel contact you as well?”  
“Why don’t you put the gun down first and then we’ll talk.” Tony said.  
There was a moment of quite before Kate heard a safety being clicked on, and then she was turning to bring her weapon to bear on an older, silver haired man who just grinned at her.  
“So you are?” She asked angrily.  
Smirking the man answered “Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs……retired.”


End file.
